Well, 2266 miles to be exact. From Indiana, through Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and into Florida. Here is the vehicle:
Van ran like a champ the whole way. Loaded up with 10 people (4 adults/6 kids) and a trailer full of luggage and tools.
Got 16.2 mpg on the way down and 14.7 mpg on the way back. Overall trip mileage was 15.34 mpg. Tank by tank it was: 16.09, 14.75, 17.77, 9.94, 14.2, 18.24 and 14.31
I was surprised some by the large fluctuation in mileage numbers. It seemed to do well in either larger steep hills of on flats. Areas with long slow hills seemed to eat up the fuel.
As far as performance, van was great. Set the cruise for 65mpg and just went. Never had to take it out of cruise. Filled up every 400-500 miles. Traded off driving through the night. The only casualty was the hubcap I lost in the way down.
The Good:
The DVD player I installed worked well to entertain the riders. Hotspot and unlimited data allowed for passenger internet access. The captains chairs in the back gave the adults plenty of leg room and made it easy to sleep.
Areas to improve:
The sound system was top of the line in 1988, but not now. Speakers are fine, but needs a new head unit for better radio signal pick-up and the ability to link to my phone and DVD player. The front passenger seat needs the ability to slide back more. It is fine for riding, but leg room is too small if you are looking to lean back to sleep. My muffler was rattling badly prior to the trip. The exhaust shop didn't have a suitable 3" muffler in stock so I just had them straight pipe it. It wasn't terrible, but there was definitely a drone at 65 mph on anything but flat ground. I also need to add more sound deading.
Overall was very happy with the way the van handled the trip. It was easy to drive, provided lots of room for the passengers and ran great the whole way.
Here is a pic from the hotel window. The old Ford was pretty easy to pick out....looked a little out of place with all the new stuff around.
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Van ran like a champ the whole way. Loaded up with 10 people (4 adults/6 kids) and a trailer full of luggage and tools.
Got 16.2 mpg on the way down and 14.7 mpg on the way back. Overall trip mileage was 15.34 mpg. Tank by tank it was: 16.09, 14.75, 17.77, 9.94, 14.2, 18.24 and 14.31
I was surprised some by the large fluctuation in mileage numbers. It seemed to do well in either larger steep hills of on flats. Areas with long slow hills seemed to eat up the fuel.
As far as performance, van was great. Set the cruise for 65mpg and just went. Never had to take it out of cruise. Filled up every 400-500 miles. Traded off driving through the night. The only casualty was the hubcap I lost in the way down.
The Good:
The DVD player I installed worked well to entertain the riders. Hotspot and unlimited data allowed for passenger internet access. The captains chairs in the back gave the adults plenty of leg room and made it easy to sleep.
Areas to improve:
The sound system was top of the line in 1988, but not now. Speakers are fine, but needs a new head unit for better radio signal pick-up and the ability to link to my phone and DVD player. The front passenger seat needs the ability to slide back more. It is fine for riding, but leg room is too small if you are looking to lean back to sleep. My muffler was rattling badly prior to the trip. The exhaust shop didn't have a suitable 3" muffler in stock so I just had them straight pipe it. It wasn't terrible, but there was definitely a drone at 65 mph on anything but flat ground. I also need to add more sound deading.
Overall was very happy with the way the van handled the trip. It was easy to drive, provided lots of room for the passengers and ran great the whole way.
Here is a pic from the hotel window. The old Ford was pretty easy to pick out....looked a little out of place with all the new stuff around.
You must be registered for see images